Chapter 3

Fistrie was a beautiful town set on the coast, and it supplemented its income by selling fish to far-off Trunavisia via the gateway network. Until now, none of its residents had seen any strangers except their merchants, and they’d never seen the likes of Darras or Balat before. Hence, Darras was getting some very un-Elven scrutiny from the gathering townsfolk. It also sold fish from neighbouring villages, and the Elves used farstriding to transport them quickly.

“You seem popular,” Firios chuckled.

“I thought Elves didn’t stare,” Darras smiled.

“Normally, we don’t, though these are not the Elves of the north,” Firios replied as Balat, Mirion, and Tinara joined them, exchanging greetings.

At this point, one of the Elves approached, identified herself as the town mayor, and inquired about their business.

“Just passing through,” Darras replied, as it was clear that only he could understand the woman. “Mirion is the agent of Hallis, and we’re escorting her to Asulnarath, where there are reports of a malady affecting the people there.”

“Ah, I see,” the woman nodded. “And you are?”

“Darras a Human,” Darras replied.

“Oh, none of us have seen a Human before,” the woman nodded. “I am Eclith, be welcome.”

“My thanks,” Darras politely acknowledged the mayor as Traskis and Demala finally joined them. “Is there a place we can buy supplies?”

“There is only one store in the town square selling foodstuffs; they will accept coin by weight,” Eclith replied. “I’m afraid they are limited in what they sell, though.”

“Understandable,” Darras nodded. “You are unused to strangers.”

“We are,” Eclith admitted. “Though our merchants bring back tales from their visits to Trunavisia, and so we have heard of Humans if never expecting to see one.”

“Well, no doubt we’ll be a talking point for a while,” Darras chuckled.

“Oh,” most certainly,” Eclith smiled. “Please go about your business with our blessings and that of Wenderos.”

“May she bless you and the town,” Darras replied in kind.

“I’m glad you could understand her, Darras,” Firios chuckled as he led the way through the town to the central square.

“A gift Erren bestowed upon me,” Darras shrugged.

“Quite useful,” Tinara added. “I caught about one word in ten, assuming they meant what I thought they meant.”

“The same,” Traskis nodded.

‘It’s an old Elven derivative, ’ Erren informed Darras. ‘A lot less complicated than modern Elven.’

As the mayor had indicated, the town store had limited stock. However, the merchant had plenty of dried fish the group stocked up on to supplement their rations. He also warned them of strange rumours reported by other merchants picked up in Trunavisia from other Elvish towns in Tuthraman who sold their goods there.

“Some malady is affecting the people there,” the merchant confirmed. “Not sure what kind, though, and there is that creeping darkness being reported near the borders of Gresh.”

“Yes, we heard rumours of that too,” Darras nodded. “Perhaps it’s connected.”

“It might; others have wondered that too,” the merchant replied.

And so, the party set off, following a river south on a natural trail. Using farstriding, the Elves ensure the party’s swift travel to an Elven village where the trail ended. As there was no inn, the party received permission to spend the night under the roof of an open barn, and the owner asked them to be careful of any flames spreading to the stored hay. A deep firepit was dug outside the barn, and a fish stew was prepared as the group gathered to discuss the following day’s plans.

“One more day of farstriding should bring us to the outskirts of the sunken city of Garsimunel,” Darras informed the Elves of Firios’ group. “That will bring us within the borders of the territory of Asulnarath.”

“A sunken city?” Mirion, who had been listening, asked.

“According to Erren, it was a city of the First Ones that used to be a fortress city guarding the only easy entrance into Asulnarath, their original homeland,” Darras replied.

“Any dangers?” Firios asked.

“It will be full of ancient spell traps that still work,” Darras explained. “So, in all likelihood, quite dangerous.”

“It will be interesting to see it,” Demala said; Mirion and Balat also looked interested.”

“Well, we’ll be going past it, so scan all you like, but we’ll not be entering it unless we have no choice,” Darras chuckled at the magic users’ keenness.

“I’ll pass on anything Doriel informs me of as we do,” Balat informed Demala.

“As will I with Hallis,” Mirion added.

“My thanks, my friends,” Demala replied gratefully.

“This land feels so ... empty,” Tinara told the group as the fish stew was doled out.

“Aye, it does,” Traskis agreed. “Far more so than the west of Golsten.”

“According to Erren, there was a geas from the last war of the First Ones that only dissipated some fifty thousand years ago,” Darras informed the group. “All the south below the desert was empty of intelligent life.”

“An astonishing curse,” Mirion murmured.

“It was about that time the Golden Empire began to expand in the north,” Traskis added. “It’s likely the local Elves came here to avoid that.”

“Erren says you’re correct, my friend,” Darras replied.

“Well, at least they avoided the sundering,” Tinara mused. “I wonder if the Dark Kin would cope with them?”

“Not for a while; they still need to shed their hatred of any Elf not of their own, and the southern Elves would pick up on that hate,” Darras replied.

“Ah, a pity.”

“When does Erren plan to permit Klea to scout with us?” Firios asked.

“I don’t know,” Darras chuckled. “When there’s a mission that won’t bring us into contact with Elves, I guess.”

‘Klea could probably manage well enough with this group, though for the moment, she’s meditating and building her mental strength to deal with the Jomanti blade’s power, ’ Erren informed Darras, who told the rest of the group. However, Mirion could ‘hear’ Erren if she concentrated.

“It’s that powerful?” Balat asked.

“To the unwary or unprepared, yes,” Darras replied.

“Astonishing.”

“Whilst I have no doubt there will be friction between us at times,” Firios mused. “I believe it will help bridge the differences between us.”

“Particularly as it was we Elves of the Golden Empire who were at fault,” Mirion added.

“Yes, King Leandomus affirmed it at a meeting between various Land Kings of the Elven countries of Keelem ... well, apart from Comarre,” Firios chuckled.

“It must have caused some consternation,” Mirion smiled.

“It did, though Leandomus had brought the records from Gilvarion to back his claim,” Firios replied. “Even then, I doubt things will change much between ourselves and the Dark Kin.”

“Knowing the truth and how you were in the wrong will be the beginning of the healing,” Darras informed Firios. “Leandomus did the right thing.”

“It had already been announced by Harinas at the university, though as Land King, Leandomus’ endorsement of the evidence gave it greater weight.”

“Still far too soon,” Mirion sighed.

“Indeed so,” Tinara agreed. “Even now, it’s a struggle not to fall back on the hatred and loathing we were all taught to feel about the slayers of Harranis.”

“True, though it is mutual,” Firios added. “Our temple schools will no longer teach the version of history we knew, but the actual events and why.”

“From small beginnings,” Darras nodded.

‘Yes, ’ Erren agreed.

The following morning, the group followed the river that, according to their maps, flowed from the central lake in Asulnarath. Erren had already informed Darras that the river was an artificial construct, as Asulnarath had once been a land of swamps, and the First Ones had used magic to remove a mountain and form a valley through which the river now flowed to Fistrie. This had started their rise to greatness from an impregnable fortress homeland, which they’d expanded by eliminating any different intelligent races, except for the Ubaid servants they kept.

“So, this is all made?” Tinara asked as they entered a broad valley with steep mountains to either side.

“Yes,” Balat replied. “Doriel confirms it.”

“Amazing, I doubt even the Golden Empire could do such a thing,” Demala nodded.

“We have a long way to go to reach such heights,” Mirion chuckled. “The first Ones had far better magical abilities than we current races.”

“True, though hopefully, we won’t use it to wipe out anyone who is different from us,” Firios smiled.

“Erren says that’s unlikely; you just don’t think the same way,” Darras replied.

“We did with the Dark Kin,” Tinara pointed out.

“And eventually, Erren stepped in,” Darras pointed out.

“True,” Tinara nodded.

“So, they removed a mountain and guided a river to another to drain a swamp?” Balat asked, returning to the subject.

“So Erren says,” Darras replied. “The Asulnarath valley is higher than the coastal area, so they removed a mountain and used it to drain the swamp and as a gateway for future conquests and annihilations.”

“Hence the fortress city,” Mirion added.

“It still must have taken a while,” Balat nodded.

“A century or so,” Mirion replied. “As powerful as they were, a mountain is a large mass to break down even with magic.”

“And all that just to conquer the world?”

“They weren’t aware of anything outside the valley,” Mirion shrugged. “Their ability to ... function above a certain altitude and below a certain temperature was at that time negligible. They later learned magic to cope better, but, at that time, it had never occurred to them that there may be others in the world. Nor did they consider sailing the cold waters around the edge of the mountains.”

“Ah, until they removed the mountain, they couldn’t get out?”

“Yes,” Mirion smiled, “Hallis confirms it.”

When the party set up camp, it was late afternoon. In the distance was the former fortress city of Garsimunel, now partially flooded because the levee that had protected it from the river had broken in several places. Though insensitive to magic, Darras viewed the place with a sense of foreboding as its alien structure looked simply wrong to him.

“Creepy,” Balat confirmed Darras’s feelings.

“Yes,” Demala agreed. “That’s why we’ll go around it.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Mirion nodded.

The party had a restless night, though Erren confirmed to Darras that it was caused by the still extant magical energies coursing through the abandoned city. Breakfast was subdued, with little conversation, and it was with a sense of trepidation that the group crossed the river to pass by the city on the far bank, with both Darras and Balat having to use their strength to pull the lighter Elves across the fast-moving water after Darras’s initial crossing. Demala then lit a fire as the group doffed their soaked clothing and warmed themselves as best they could before pulling on dry attire.

“Unpleasant,” Firios commented.

“It’s the only way to avoid the city,” Darras replied. “The river has moved over millennia and enabled a passing of the city to the north.”

“Yes,” Mirion confirmed. “You can see the collapsed former walls.”

“Fortunately, we won’t have to return this way,” Balat added.

The group then trekked down the north side of the river, following the artificially cut valley until they camped again and built a roaring fire to dry out their wet clothing. The Elves hunted for game, and Darras, Balat, and Mirion foraged for herbs and wild vegetables.